3 adding skype on to 3G phones

[Frank]

3 are looking more and more tempting.

The deal seems pretty good compared to others.

Now they have included skype on a fair few of the mobiles.

Seems to be a great deal, what am I missing.

 

[stir crazy]

Is the Skype button a gimmick ? Can't any 3G or programmable internet enabled phone (with the right software installed) use Skype or is there something really special or extremely good value about 3's offer of Skype ?

 

[Artois]

I think you need a data(broadband) package on your phone before you can use it. You do get free MSM on 3 3g phones which can be useful and is totally free on basic package.

 

[stir crazy]

You do get free MSM on 3 3g phones which can be useful and is totally free on basic package.

Do you mean free MSN messenger ? I asked at a 3 store around Christmas and I was told its' limited to 100 messages. Maybe with a fiddly phone its a little bit harder and more time consuming to chat but it's easy to use that 100 messages up in one or 2 conversations in my experience.

 

[podgerodge]

Once you topup by €10 you get free skype access for one month - the point being that if you are not charged for the data traffic - it really is free and works very well.

 

[aircobra19]

Is the Skype button a gimmick ? Can't any 3G or programmable internet enabled phone (with the right software installed) use Skype or is there something really special or extremely good value about 3's offer of Skype ?

Yes you can get a Skype client for a lot of mobile phones and PDA's. But as podgerodge says. It uses data not your mobile phone minutes. So you have to buy a data addon. But 3 has one of the best packages for data compared to the other networks here. They use their own Skype client that has one limitation. It doesn't allow you to use Skype out. So you can only use it to ring from Skype to Skype. I've read reports of people installing other Skype clients on their 3 phones which gets around this. With Skype out you can use your mobile via Skype to ring landlines in other countries (not Ireland) at Skype rates.

Someone at work at a 3 phone and uses it to look up google maps and browse the internet and use skype. He reckons its great. Lots of reports of people complaining about 3's customer service. I've no experience of it myself. Don't bother asking them about Skype out, they don't know what it is.

That said unless you use Skype already, on a computer, is there really any point getting it on a mobile.